Discussion and arguments in Science

1. Ideas, Evidence and Argument
Developing dialogic teaching

2. “ Knowing why the wrong idea
is wrong matters just as much as
Knowing why the right idea is
right”

3. What is dialogic teaching?
Collective: teachers and children address learning tasks together, as a
group or as a class.
Reciprocal: teachers and children listen to each other, share ideas and
consider alternative viewpoints.
Supportive: children articulate their ideas freely, without fear of
embarrassment over "wrong" answers; and they help each other to
reach common understandings.
Cumulative: teachers and children build on their own and each other's
ideas and chain them into coherent lines of thinking and enquiry.
Purposeful: teachers plan and steer classroom talk with specific
educational goals which are chosen based on prior lessons.

4. Learning goals
• Cognitive learning goals – Ability to reason
and think
• Epistemic learning goals – “How do we know”
• Social learning goals – Develop use of subject
specific language and terminology, interaction
and listening.

5. Structure
• My idea is…..
• The evidence to support my idea is…..
• This evidence supports my idea because…..
• Arguments against my idea are…..
• I would convince someone who doesn’t
believe me by…….

6. Statement
Agree/Disagree/
Unsure
Evidence
Salty water is a compound
Air is a mixture of different
elements and/or compounds
Elements have only one type of
atom in them
Elements can join together to
form compounds
Pure substances are substances
that don't have harmful things in
them

7. Food miles
Using the information you have found out do you think it
is ok to carry on importing fruit and vegetables into the
UK or should we use alternative local sources?
Give examples to support your ideas.
You must relate to:
• The Environment.
• The Economy.
• Society.
Each person in your group must be finding out
information about one of these and collecting strong
evidence to SUPPORT your argument.

8. Extended project
The aim of the exercise is for
pupils to generate
arguments for and against
the funding of a new zoo.
In this activity pupils have
the opportunity to:
• Generate ideas
• Learn to use evidence to
justify conclusions
• Construct arguments
collaboratively
Stimulation Q’s.
• Are wild animals killed by
hunters and poachers?
• Are animals in Zoos well
fed?
• Can zoos release animals
back to the wild?
• Would animals have
become extinct of it
wasn’t for zoos?
• Do Zoos allow scientists
to study rare animals?

9. Toulmin Model of Argument

10. The purpose
• The aim is to establish a way of thinking for
students which encourages them to check they
have all the facts necessary before making a final
conclusion.
• In line with PEED.
• Gives individuals a clear structure to work
through.
• Can encourage motivation and enjoyment in
lessons.

11. Links
• http://www.robinalexander.org.uk/dialogic-teaching/